Stories of Destiny
by EnchantedSailorBella
Summary: Edward and Bella were always meant to be. The heavens had set forth their destiny when Edward and Bella were mere babes. These are the stories of destiny.
1. Prologue

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED! All recognizable characters belong to SM

* * *

Edward and Bella were always meant to be. The heavens had set forth their destiny when Edward and Bella were mere babes. Destiny was thwarted again and again by Edward's brooding and independent nature. Bella was born many times over, to many different families and positions. Each time, Edward ignored her, and each time, she died alone. The heavens finally had enough of Edward's ignorance to his purpose and place in the world. It was decided upon Isabella Marie Swan's final birth that she would no longer be avoidable. Edward would no longer be able to look the other way. He would be forced to see and worse smell her. He'd never be able to get her off his mind, and at the same time, he wouldn't be able to get into her mind. It would drive him mad, and he'd no longer be ignorant of that which had been created for him.

The story of Edward and Bella is one that is known well the world over. But what about before destiny stood in? What about before the happily ever after. These are the stories of the lives of the soul of the woman meant for Edward. Each encountered Edward, meant to meet him and love him, but were never given the chance. These are the untold stories of the soul that wandered aimlessly and unknown with Edward's. These are the heartbreaking stories that led to the final union and 'Happily Ever After' that have defined a generation. These are the stories of destiny.


	2. Caroline O'Brien

My name is Caroline O'Brien. I was born in America in 1903, and orphaned in 1904. My ma died in complications of child birth, and my father found no reason to live without his wife and a son to carry on his name. He died of starvation less than six months into my life.

A young cook named Mary brought me to her mistress, telling her the story of my short beginning. Her mistress instructed her to raise me as her own. To teach me the ways of the household and to bring me up to be loyal to the family. This is how I came to work in the Mason household.

I have no memories of my parents other than the stories that I have been told by those in town who knew them. My mother had been frail from the trip to America and had been unable to fight for her life as well as my own. She'd chosen me. My father had married my mother out of love, something that was rarely heard of. He couldn't find a way to live without her. Some said he'd poisoned himself and others said that he'd hung himself. But I knew he'd died of a broken heart. His heart would not allow him to live without it's other half.

I felt that I was probably a lot like my father in that way. I was doomed to love one and only one. He was the son and heir to the Mason name. Edward Anthony Mason Jr. was the only man I'd ever looked at. I'd grown up with him. When I was too young to be of any use, Mary and Mrs. Mason had placed us together to amuse ourselves.

I knew I was treated differently than most servants. Since Edward and I had been so close growing up, Mrs. and Mr. Mason never required me to do harder labor that they required of those I worked with. I had become the cook's assistant and Mrs. Mason's lady in waiting.

As I got older, I began to see differences grow in the way that I was treated. When I reached the age of thirteen, I no longer slept in the servant's quarters. I did not understand the change. I did not mind my chambers, well, the chambers that I shared with Mary. It was clean, had clean sheets, and a fire place to keep us warm and dry. I also enjoyed the company that I drew from the woman who'd raised me. But on my thirteenth birthday, Mrs. Mason insisted that I be moved into one of the larger rooms in the wing the family resided. She said that she wanted me to be closer to her, should she need my assistance in the middle of the night. It was no secret that the Mason household hoped for another child. I assumed this must be the reason she wanted me close.

It has been three years, and many things have changed, but none have added number to the Mason household. Today is a very special day. Today is Edward Jr.'s birthday. He has now lived seventeen years. He will soon be old enough to leave us behind. He will either go to college to be a lawyer like his father or he will go to war. Edward and I have not discussed it, but I know he will chose war. Edward no longer speaks to me as he once did. When we were younger, we were all the other had. We were the best of friends. But when he went to school, he was taught that I was meant to be treated differently. He seemed reluctant to treat me the way he treated the others that I worked with, so instead, he chose to ignore my presence completely. It hurt at first, but I'd grown accustomed to his cold behavior.

Today, Mrs. Mason had asked me to create a feast for her son. I was to serve it to him specially. I did not question her out loud, but by the sparkle in her eyes as she instructed me on his favorite foods, which I already knew, she seemed to be scheming. But it was not my place to ask. Perhaps she was inviting one of the young ladies from town to his birthday. It was nearing time for him to choose a wife. I would pain me to watch him fall in love with one of the beautiful young women from town, but I had no right to him. I was an orphan who his family had taken in. I had no dowry, no recommendations and no connections. It was not a suitable match, and I could never hope to be enough for him.

I worked in the kitchen the whole day. I wanted Edward to enjoy his birthday. If I could have any effect on how his birthday went, I would do anything to make that affect a positive one. Mary checked on me several times, but I had insisted on doing this on my own.

The sun set and I began to place everything out for the Mason family. Mrs. Mason told me to prepare for four, so I set an extra spot at the table, curious who would be joining the family at dinning.

Mrs. Mason came downstairs just as I had set everything, "Amazing, Caroline. You have done a marvelous job. Now hurry off and get ready for supper."

I stared at her for a moment, unsure of what she had meant. "Caroline, do you not want to join us for dinner?"

I nearly choked on the tears of gratitude that I felt. "You want me to dine with you?"

Mrs. Mason smiled and nodded at me. "Of course, dear. Now hurry along. Edward will be hungry shortly."

I rushed to my room to clean myself. I scrubbed away most of the soot that came from cooking over a fire and brushed out my hair. I pulled on one of my dresses that I wore to church and descended the stairs.

Mrs. Mason looked up at me and smiled. Mr. Mason acknowledged my presence, but seemed indifferent to me. Edward did not acknowledge me. He rose with his father as I entered out of habit, but didn't even look in my direction.

Supper continued that way. We spoke with his parents, but he made no move to speak to me.

"Son," Mr. Mason began. "Have you decided what you will do once you have finished school?"

Edward nodded. He may not have looked my way, but my eyes rarely left him. "They need soldiers to go abroad. Once I have completed my classes, I will join and do what I can for my country."

Mr. Mason seemed pleased with his son's response, but when I glanced at Mrs. Mason, I noticed a tear trying to escape her lid. Neither she nor I wanted to see Edward go to war. If he did not come back, it would be worse than watching him fall in love and create a family with another woman.

Supper became a silent affair after that. Mr. Mason was not a man to need to create a conversation, and Mrs. Mason was too upset by the new information to make any sort of comment. And Edward seemed determined to rush through the meal that I'd created especially for him.

When the night had grown, there was noise of wheels outside the house. Edward retreated from the house and joined his friends. I was not sure where he was headed, but I saw it as a final cut in our separation. He was no longer the Edward that I'd grown up with. He was just like everyone else.

After I'd finished with all my nightly chores, Mrs. Mason asked me to help her brush out her hair. I stood behind her at her vanity as she looked at me in the mirror. Her green eyes, which Edward had inherited, were studying me closely as I brushed through each strand of her beautiful copper hair, "Caroline?"

I didn't pause in my actions, I simply looked at her in the mirror. "Yes ma'am?"

She didn't break eye contact with me. "Do you love my son?"

I dropped my eyes back to her hair and blushed scarlet. The answer was obvious on my face, so I whispered, "Yes ma'am."

She nodded, causing some of the strands to slip through my fingers. "I always knew you would, from the day that Mary brought you in. You were so beautiful, even as a babe, you had the beauty of a woman in your eyes. As children, you and Edward were inseparable. He was drawn to you, and I thought I saw it beginning then. But now..." she trailed off, tears streaming down her face. "Now he wants to risk his life by going off to fight a war. My baby wants to leave us."

She took my hand that was holding her hair and pulled me until I was kneeling beside her. She gave me a watery smile. "I know I'm asking a lot of you, but please, give him a reason to stay. I know you want him to live as much as I do. Please, give him a reason to choose life rather than war."

I wasn't sure exactly what she'd meant, but she was right. We both desperately wanted her son to stay here, alive. I would do whatever it took for that to happen.

Mrs. Mason dismissed me before her husband retired to their room. I wanted so desperately what they had. They loved each other, and they were together. They had everything they could ever want, and I was going to do whatever I could to make sure it stayed that way.

I went to bed shortly after leaving Mr. and Mrs. Mason's room. I felt asleep trying to think of ways that I could get Edward to stay.

* * *

I was woken up by the bounce of my bed. I opened my eyes to scan my room. I nearly jumped when I was the shape of a man sitting at the edge of my bed. That is, until the moonlight gleamed off of his copper hair. I relaxed and watched him for a moment. He was sitting with his back to me, and his shoulder shaking. I crawled toward him, unsure of how to act properly, but not quite sure that I really cared. "Edward?"

He turned slightly at the sound of his name, but not enough to let me see his whole profile. Then he turned back toward the door. I crawled closer to him and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. He stiffened for a moment, but then relaxed, resting one of his hands on mine.

We sat that way for a while. I crossed my legs and sat behind him as his shoulders continued to shake, not sure what more I could do. His shoulders began to shake less violently and he leaned back until his head was resting in my lap. The shock of his action was overshadowed by what I was in his face. I wiped away the tears that had dared to mar the perfection of his face. "What the matter, Edward."

He sighed, "I'm hurting her. My decision is absolutely destroying her."

I ran my hands through his hair, massaging his scalp with my nails. "Yes," was my answer. I wasn't going to lie to him. Going into the army would kill his mother. She wouldn't survive his absence.

He choked on a sob, "But I have to go. Why can't she see that? This country is important. I cannot, no, will not just sit back and hide like a coward. This is my country as well. I need to protect it and her."

I had no argument for him. Not now. I could see why he wanted to go. He wanted to protect his mother and his country. I couldn't blame him. It didn't prevent it form hurting. A single tear fell from my eye, falling on his cheek below my face.

He looked up at me, green eyes searching. He abruptly sat up and looked into my eyes directly. He wiped away the wet trail, "Why do you cry, Caroline?"

I didn't break eye contact with him, though the air was suddenly full of alcoholic fumes causing my eyes to burn more. He was drunk. He hadn't come to me for comfort of his own will. His mind was influenced by drink. "Even if I understand, it doesn't mean that I agree. If you died, we wouldn't survive."

He stroked my cheek. He was still studying my face, looking for something. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine. The pressure was light, almost nonexistent. Then, gradually, the pressure increased. He used his lips to push mine open, using his tongue to explore my mouth. I could taste the heave liquors on his tongue, and tears began to stream down my cheeks. I was so upset by what was happening, why it was happening, and yet, I couldn't move away.

He tangled his tongue with mine, creating sensations that I'd never experienced before. The room began to spin and he pulled back, gasping for air. Then, without a second glance, he left me alone on my bed. I watched him leave the room, once again creating a barrier that I wasn't allowed to cross. He didn't have to say it, no one would ever know of this night. No one would ever know that he'd come to me for comfort. Worse, I knew he'd be among those who didn't know. The night would be forgotten by the morning. I would be the only one to ever know that Edward's lips had touched mine I reached up to touch them, wishing to reapply the pressure, but to no avail. The night was never meant to happen, therefore would be forgotten.

I slipped under my covers again, wishing for sleep to reclaim me. Instead, grief washed over me. I soaked my pillow with salty water, trying to wash away the memory I was not allowed to remember.

* * *

For more than a month, things went back to the way they had been. Edward never acknowledged my presence, and Mrs. Mason watched us with tears in her eyes, as if she shared my grief. She couldn't know. It was something that never truly happened, therefore, she wouldn't know. But she appeared to know. She knew everything.

Just as the war was turning in our favor and fear of Edward leaving began to dissipate, the Influenza hit. But this year was so much different. The first death had been tragic, and the second had been heartbreaking, but then there were more, many more. The local hospital began to fill up to a point that the doctors had to turn people away. Only those who could pay the most were allowed in. So people began to die in the streets. For weeks, the Mason home seemed safe. Food portions were rationed severely so that we rarely had to go to the market and everyone was instructed to stay in unless special needs arose.

Then Mr. Mason took ill. Mrs. Mason and I tended to him immediately while Edward made arrangement for him to go to the hospital. We were very lucky that we didn't get turned away. Edward took his father to the hospital, telling us that no women were allowed to leave the house.

Mrs. Mason and I waited, wringing our hands for several hours. I paced nervously as Mrs. Mason stared at the fire. The sun had set, and there was still no sign of Edward Sr. or Jr. "Why hasn't he come back?" I grunted. It was starting to make me so nervous.

Mrs. Mason continued to look at the fire for several minutes. Then she looked up at me. "We need to go."

My eyes got wide, "Go? Go where? Edward told us to stay here."

She shook her head. "We need to go to the hospital. They need us." With that she was on her feet and pulling me toward the door. Edward had taken the car, and it was too late to try to find a carriage, so we simply walked to the hospital. She pulled me through the doors of the hospital and walked through as if she knew exactly where she was going. She stopped in front of two cots and I gasped. Mr. Mason and Edward both lay unconscious, thrashing in their sleep. I fell to my knees in front of Edward's cot. "No," I whispered.

Mrs. Mason was in a flurry. She immediately began working over her boys. She was able to get a small bowl of ice water and two rags. She handed one to me and we began to reduce their fevers. Then we tried to get them to drink and eat in unconscious and delirious states.

We continued this way for two days, and then Mr. Mason woke up. He looked up at his wife. "I love you, Elizabeth."

She choked on her tears and held his hand close to her heart. She stroked a lock of hair from his forehead that was stuck there with sweat. "I love you too, Edward." Her complexion was pale, and she looked as though she could barely stand.

I caught the eye of a blonde doctor close by and directed him to her. "Mrs. Mason?" His voice was melodic, almost hypnotizing. "You should lie down."

She shook her head, but the motion caused her to sway. "I have to take care of them."

The doctor didn't let her argue. He had a cot moved closer so that she could lie between her husband and son. She finally relented and sat in the bed, but never once did she give up on tending to her boys.

As Mr. Mason became sicker, so did she. I tried to encourage her to rest, that I'd take care of them, but she wouldn't. That is, until Mr. Mason took his final breath. She went into shock as his body was being wheeled away. For almost twenty four hours, she didn't respond to anyone or anything. She just lay on her side, watching the spot where her husband had been.

It wasn't until the doctor began speaking of Edward's condition failing that she was able to come back. I wouldn't let her leave her cot, but she fretted over him constantly. Edward rarely regained consciousness, and when he did, he was delirious. I had nearly lost all hope, but Mrs. Mason refused to give up. She was determined to stabilize Edward, but at a terrible cost. She began to cough into her pillow, leaving behind trails of black.

The blonde doctor approached her. "Mrs. Mason, you must rest. You are killing yourself."

She looked up at him, green eyes blazing. "You must save him. What no one else can do, that is what you must do for my Edward."

After speaking to him, she lost consciousness, her breathing labored. The blonde doctor stood there watching her for several minutes in shock. I wondered what it was in her speech that had shocked him so.

"Caroline?" I looked down at Edward. "I told you to stay at the house."

I nodded, "I know."

He reached over to his mother, but let his hand drop. He turned into the pillow and began to sob violently. When he finally turned to look at me, his eyes had glazed over. He was gone again. It was more than I could take. The closest thing I had to a family was disappearing. The man I loved, albeit unrequited, was disappearing from my life. I couldn't deal with it. Blackness encroached on my vision.

* * *

I don't know how long I was out, but when I woke up, I was on a cot in an unfamiliar part of the hospital. I looked around for Mrs. Mason and Edward. I looked around, catching a nurse's attention. She came over, "Oh, good dear. You're finally awake. How are you feeling?"

I pushed off her questioning. "Where are the Masons?"

Her expression saddened, "Do you mean the family that you came in with?" I nodded. "They passed two days ago, miss. I'm sorry."

I began to choke. Two days. I had been out for at least two days. Mrs. Mason and Edward had died because I had been unable to take care of them. My body began to shudder and shake violently as the realization hit me. Mrs. Mason had made me promise that I'd do whatever I could to make sure he lived. I'd failed her.

"Miss? Miss?" The nurse was still standing next to me. She was calling over a doctor as my body continued to shudder. I wondered if this was my sobs or my body reacting to the illness. I prayed for the latter. I couldn't live without Edward. If he was truly gone, there was nothing left.

The nurse continued to watch me, her face blank as she watched me continue to shudder. I wondered how many she'd watched go this way. A doctor came up behind her. He watched me for a moment before drawing the nurse away. Clearly, if I was dying, I was past help.

I closed my eyes and let the tears stream my cheeks. I wished I could have been with him, that's how I wanted to spend my last moments on earth. So, I let my mind fill with him. His green eyes, perfect nose, and square jaw. I saw his usually slicked back copper hair, sticking up in different directions in the morning when he passed me in the hallway. The way his hair had felt between my fingers.

The pain slowly began to dull, and I began to go numb. It wouldn't be much longer now. I let my mind wander back to the memory I'd forced myself to forget. The way his lips had felt pressed against mine. The sensations, almost like lightening, that passed through my body as our tongues wrapped around each other.

I could no longer feel or hear the outside world. I'd become numb to everything. _Goodbye, Edward. I love you_.


	3. Maddison King

"Maddison King!" My father called to me from across the house.

I ran toward his office, not sure what would have caused him to need me. He rarely needed me. He always called for Royce, not me. I reached his door. "Yes, papa?"

He looked up at me from the papers spread out on his desk. The bank was always so busy that he had to do work from home. "Is everything prepared for the party tonight?"

I nodded my head, "Yes, papa. The pianist will be here in a few hours and the kitchen staff has been working all morning preparing"

"Good," he dug through his pile until he found one of the thick invitations to the party. He held it out to me. "There is a new doctor who just moved into town. I want you to go to his house and give him a personal invitation. Word has it, he's very well off, and he has a brother-in-law a few years older than you. It would do you some good to go meet them."

I dropped a curtsey and grabbed the invitation from his outstretched hand. I went to my room to put on a nicer dress and to check my hair. I wasn't really excited about this trip to meet the new doctor, but if I didn't try, my father would likely punish me.

The walk to the doctor's house was longer than I expected considering my father sent me without a chaperone. It had been nearly half an hour by the time I reached the house. I would have to hurry back if I wanted to make it before dark.

I knocked on the door. A beautiful woman with caramel locks answered. She smiled down at me. "Hello, dear. What can I do for you?"

I dropped a curtsey out of habit. I wasn't the most graceful creature, but I didn't fall. "My father sent me to inform the new doctor of a party being held at our house tonight. We would really love to see you there."

She continued to smile and stepped away from the door. "Won't you come in?"

I looked at the sun. It would have sunk below the horizon soon. She noticed my worry. "We'll accompany you home, dear." That mollified my worries and I followed her into the house.

She led me through many beautiful rooms. It wasn't like my home. My home was decorated to show money and social position. This home was decorated just to look beautiful to anyone who saw it. I felt myself relaxing, feeling almost more at home here than with my family. We stopped in a room with a beautiful black baby grand surrounded by comfortable looking chair.

Sitting in one of the chairs was a blonde haired man who could be no more than twenty five years old. He seemed to glow, lighting up the whole room. He was looked down at some papers, seeming fully entranced by them. He was truly beautiful. More beautiful than any woman or man that lived in this town, with the exception of the one standing next to me.

A few notes escaped the piano and my gaze jumped to the bench to see who'd created them. I was stunned into a completely motionless state. The man sitting at the piano was inhumanly beautiful. His strangely colored bronze hair was sticking out in all directions as if he'd just rolled out of bed. The angles of his face were so perfect. He looked as if an artist had cut him out of marble. I couldn't take my eyes off of him as he let his hands glide over the keys. His fingers were so long and graceful. They danced along the keys in a way that made my breath hitch in my throat.

The woman next to me pulled me from my daze. She pointed to the man in the chair. "This is my husband, Carlisle Cullen. He's the new doctor that your father sent out to greet. I'm Esme and this is my brother, Edward Mason."

I dropped another curtsey, though I nearly fell. My balance seemed to have suddenly disappeared. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Maddison King. My father has sent me to invite you and your family to a party being held in our home."

I walked toward Dr. Cullen and handed him the invitation. He looked at it for a moment. The he looked out the window where the sun was setting. "This is quite a ways Miss King. Did you walk here all by yourself?"

I nodded. "My father is a busy man. He did not have time to accompany me." Although he could have easily sent my brother. I did not know why he made such a big deal of me coming here to meet the doctor and his family. If his purpose was to have me impress the doctor's brother-in-law he would be sadly disappointed. The man hadn't even looked my way. And he'd be better off with someone like Rosalie Hale.

Edward snorted and stopped playing. I couldn't figure out what had caused that reaction. He'd been playing so beautifully.

Dr. Cullen looked at Edward confused for a moment and then looked back at me. "If you wouldn't mind waiting, we'll escort you home. There is no reason for a young lady to be out at night alone."

I thanked him and Esme pulled me up to her closet. It was slightly larger than mine, and the dresses were magnificent. None of them were overly showy, more simple. I found myself reaching out to touch some of them. It was so tempting. I helped Esme dress. She was so nice. She spoke to me the whole time. She asked questions about my family and about the people in town. I found myself talking to her as I would a best friend. She made me feel so comfortable.

We descended the stairs to see Edward and Dr. Cullen prepared to leave as well. I let my eyes linger on Edward. His pale skin was extenuated by the black suit that he wore. He's slicked back his hair, and although it was still beautiful, I wanted to run my fingers through it until it was a mess again.

The way they were looking at each other, it appeared that they were having a conversation, though their lips never moved. Dr. Cullen looked up as we entered, and Edward left the room. I wondered if I'd done something to offend him. He stopped in the entry way to the next room and exhaled sharply, turning back to look at me.

It was the first time our eyes had met, and I was struck by the color that met me. His eyes were like two gold coins. They were brilliant in color. There was something else, though. The color was unnatural. I couldn't place it, but I felt like it should be a different color. Some kind of liquid gem rather than hard gold coin. It hurt a little for him to look at me with such hard eyes, yet familiar. I shook my head, pushing away the ridiculous thoughts. He couldn't change his eye color, and I'd never met him before.

I realized that he was still watching me, so I looked away. It felt like he could see what I was thinking. The thought was embarrassing. Blood flooded my cheeks. Esme gasped and turned away from me. Dr. Cullen reached for her and held her tightly in his arms. The exchange was strange to me. What had I done to upset her? Had she been talking to me? Had I offended her by paying more attention to her brother than her?

Edward gave another exasperated sigh. "Why don't I escort you back, Maddison?" He didn't sound pleased by the idea. It was almost as if it was a chore.

I would have denied him, but the sun had set completely. As the daughter of the most successful man in town, it was dangerous for me to be by myself at night. There had been many woman raped in the night recently. It had terrified me, though Royce told me I had nothing to worry about.

I looked up at the Edward as he was nearly a foot taller than me. He had scowl placed on his face and I wondered what was going on in his head that caused him to hold such an expression. I figured it was me. He obviously didn't want to be near me and yet he was having to escort me home. "You don't have to do this," I finally spoke up. "My brother says that no one will hurt me."

"Your brother," he scoffed. "I'm sure he's right, but we're going the same way, anyway. There is no reason for you to walk alone where there is someone to escort you."

I sighed. I'm sure that was my father's intent. I was merely 15, and yet he was trying to find a husband for me. Though Edward was beautiful, I could never spend my life with a man who could not find it in him to smile. I loved to smile and laugh. Such seriousness would dampen the tone of my life. I suppose it's a good thing I'm put off by him, because he seems irritated with my presence as well.

I glanced up at the sky. The stars were just beginning to shine. The house would be full by the time that we reached it. "Beautiful night," Edward murmured. "Isn't it?"

I was dumbstruck. All the hostility was gone from his voice and face. He seemed to have thawed to me during our silence "Y-yes," I stuttered. "I love the night. The stars are so bright." I looked back up at the sky, finding it easier to speak when I wasn't looking at the gorgeous man whose arm I was holding. "It's so strange to think that these are the same stars that looked upon our families many generations back." I sighed. "If stars could speak, I wonder what stories they would have to tell us."

We continued to walk in silence. Now the silence was comfortable rather than strained as it had been before. I was glad to see him relax, but it took away some of my ability to be put out with him. I wanted to be able to not like him so my attraction for him would be offset.

"Does your family hold these events often?" Edward asked I assumed he was trying to be properly social.

"Only when my father wants to make an announcement," I said quietly. "Tonight he wants to announce Royce's decision to take over for him. He's going to begin working at the bank so that he can learn everything from the ground up."

Edward nodded, falling into silence again as we reached my home. There were many cars surrounding the house and music floated from within. The music was played by a man who'd been playing for our parties for years. When I was younger, I'd sit on the bench next to him and watch him play. I'd always loved it, but now, it sounded so unpracticed next to Edward's music.

Edward and I entered the house where we separated. I could hold his attention no longer. There were now more beautiful girls who would keep him happier. I went to find my father. "Papa?"

He spun to look at me. There was obvious disappointment on his face. "Where's the doctor and his family?"

"The doctor and his wife are on their way. His brother-in-law is already here. He escorted me home." That appeased my father. I left him to his conversation and went to find a friend, someone to pass the boring proceedings with. There was no one. Father had not invited anyone of my age, except Edward. Again, I sensed my father's desire to push me off on the doctor's family. I saw Edward, the doctor and Esme had joined him. I was tempted to join them as well, but decided against it. Edward had dealt with my presence enough for one night, possibly for a life time. Instead I opted to go to bed. No one would notice my absence.

* * *

Days passed and I heard nothing from the Cullen family. They were nice people, but they seemed to like to stay out of the public eye. I did begin to see Rosalie Hale more often, though. Royce had seen her at the bank and had fallen head over heels for her beauty.

She had begun to come to the house and we'd gotten to know each other pretty well. She was nice, but she didn't really care much for my presence.

She and Royce were engaged within weeks. It was to be a short engagement. I was happy for both of them. They really did make a handsome pair, though I could still see her with Edward. They would have made a much handsomer pair. But Rosalie avoided all topics that involved the doctor and his family. She didn't seem to like them at all.

Royce's friends from school came to visit the week of the wedding. There were four of them, and they were all staying at our home.

"Hey girl," Jason Rice called to me.

I dropped him a small curtsey. I hated having to do that. Jason did not deserve my respect. "Yes, Mr. Rice?"

He walked up to me, leaving little space between us. "You lookin' for a good time?" His southern accent hung heavily in the air with the smell of alcohol.

There was a hand on my shoulder and I was glad to see my brother. "Stay away from my sister, Jason," Royce slurred. "She's off limits."

Jason backed away from us. "Sorry, Royce. Didn't recognize her. She's grown quite a bit since last time I saw her."

Royce kissed my cheek and they all left for the night. I didn't know when they'd get back, but I hoped it would be late enough that they'd just come in and sleep off their drink. I didn't think that Royce would let them touch me, but drunken men were hard to predict.

After the boys left, I went to the piano and sat down in front of the keys. I knew how to play a little. My mother had started to teach me, but we'd never gotten far. I reached out and played a scale, wishing that I could play something as beautifully as Edward had. I closed my eyes and let the image of him at the piano fill my mind. He was beautiful, and his fingers seemed to have a mind of their own as they glided over the keys.

I sighed. Why was I so attracted to him? He was far too beautiful, unnaturally beautiful. It was almost as if he hadn't always been that way. It bothered me that when he'd looked at me, his eye color had felt wrong. My heart had stuttered as if it had recognized him until his eyes.

I got up from the piano and walked to my room. I dressed for bed and turned off the light. It didn't take long for sleep to overtake me.

* * *

The front door slammed, causing me to jolt from my bed. I looked around my room trying to determine the time. It was dark, so it could not be time to wake. I laid back down and tried to regain unconsciousness, but voices broke into my thoughts.

"Well, Royce," someone slurred. "She **was** beautiful." The way he emphasized was bothered me for some reason.

"Yep," someone else said. "I suppose that means the plans are off for this weekend?" Plans. What plans did they have besides the wedding? Surely those wouldn't be canceled. Unless Royce had…

I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands. Had Royce cheated on Rosalie? Oh my God. Poor Rosalie. Why would my brother do that, and with someone who was merely pretty. Rosalie was gorgeous.

The voices passed by my door as they continued to discuss the traits of the poor girl who had caused my brother's infidelity. I wanted to be mad at her, but it sounded as though they'd taken her by force. I wanted to cry. Was this really my brother? I had always looked up to him. How could he really do something like this?

I cried into my pillow until I'd run dry and my mind could take it no longer. I fell into unconsciousness once more.

* * *

The morning brought news of the disappearance of both Rosalie and Dr. Cullen and his family. I wanted to cry again. Had Rosalie found out about my brother's behavior? Had Dr. Cullen taken her in? Had she finally realized that Edward would create much more beautiful children than my brother?

The town filled with the rumors, my brother could barely handle them. He was jumpy any time someone mentioned Rosalie or the doctor's family.

As time passed, he calmed. Nearly three months went by and the rumors died down. The Hale family and the King family mourned the disappearance of Rosalie as if she'd died. I felt that if she'd left because of what Royce had done, it was appropriate. We'd never see her again.

Nearly six months had passed when news reached us of Jason's death. The attack looked as though it had been horrific. Almost all his bones were broken. Yet there was no blood. No one could figure out what happened, but it was pushed aside.

A week later, news of a death similar to Jason's reached us. Another of Royce's friends had been killed in a horrific death in which no blood was shed. The mystery was no longer pushed aside. Royce wanted it looked into.

He became even more nervous the next week when a third murder was reported. He hired two men and had them guard a room in the house which he'd had built with no window and one door. I didn't understand why, but he'd had the room lined with metal. The room was impenetrable and sound proof.

A forth murder was reported and Royce called me into his room to talk to me. His guards let me in and I looked my brother over. His cloths were rumpled and his hair had grown on both his face and his head. His eyes were red with deep purple circles beneath them. He was a mess.

I walked up to him and sat on the bed next to him. "Royce, what's happened to you?"

Royce looked into my eyes for a few minutes before speaking. "I'm going to die, Maddison," he said simply. "I've done something terrible, and now she's coming back to get me."

My brow furrowed. "Who's coming to get you?"

"Rosalie," he whispered.

"I knew it," I said. "You had another woman didn't you? That's why Rosalie left."

"What are you talking about?" Royce looked so confused.

"The night before Rosalie disappeared," I began. "You came home with your friends talking about the woman that you'd taken. How she looked and what you'd done to her. I knew Rosalie found out and left."

Royce's face looked pained. "I wish you hadn't heard that Maddison." He exhaled. "I didn't take another woman."

"But…"

He shook his head and held up his hand to stop my speech. "I didn't take another woman. We were talking about Rosalie."

The shock didn't allow me to process his words. I just sat there staring at him and he continued to speak. "She was out by herself. Why did she have to be out by herself? If she'd walked with someone else I would have resisted, but she was too tempting. I took her, my friends took her, and we weren't gentle. When we walked way, I thought she was dead."

Understanding dawned in my brain. All of the men who had died were part of the group that had been with him that night. I shook my head, "Royce, Rosalie could not have committed the acts which killed your friends. She's not strong enough."

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Royce whispered. "It's her," he sobbed.

I placed my hands on his shoulders. "Royce, you can't hide from what you've done. If you really killed Rosalie, her family deserves to know."

He shook his head, "That won't make her happy," he tried to control his emotions. He hated feeling weak. "She won't be happy until we're all dead. And I don't blame her. I have done terrible things, and she was not the first."

I didn't want to think about the last part of his statement. That would mean that my brother might be guilty of the very crimes that he claimed to protect me from. "Royce, are you just going to hide here forever?"

He nodded. "I have to try to save myself." He sighed, "I just called you in here to say goodbye. I don't think that I will survive."

I lifted myself from the bed and walked to the door without a word. In the morning, this would make more sense. I'd talk to my parents and we'd figure this out. We'd get Royce help and fix this.

When sleep finally took me, it did not feel like a dream. I looked out my window and saw Rosalie looking up at the house. She was wearing a wedding dress that was slightly battered. Her appearance was altered, but in a way that made her even more beautiful. Her skin had paled and her hair seemed to shine. Her eyes were bright, like fire. _Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned_.

She glided into the house, and it was the last I saw of her.

When I woke the next morning, it was to the screams of my mother. I ran to her without finding my robe. In front of my brother's door were his guards, lying dead on the floor. I backed away from the scene. I didn't want to go into the room. I knew what I'd see. I continued to back away, wanting to turn and run, but not able to turn in the other direction.

I should have turned, because I would have seen the stairs. My foot slipped, and I felt myself falling, and there was no one there to catch me.

Even though I was on the verge of death, I was happy. After all, what did I have to live for?


	4. Amelia Martin

The boss was giving me the night off. I wanted to dance with joy. It was true that I had nowhere to go, no one to see, and nothing to do, but I wouldn't have to work tonight. I was ecstatic. It was my first night off since my parents had kicked me out.

It was their fault I was here. Why had they believed that terrible cad rather than their own daughter? They had called me a whore, and now that's what I was.

I sighed as I pulled out the little cash that the boss had given me and revealed in the idea that I could go out for a real meal. He said that his clients had been pleased with me, so I got a reward.

"Hey, Scarlette," my roommate Candi called to me. I turned to look at her. "Could you buy me some cigarettes while you're out?" She handed me a few bucks and I nodded. This would be enough to last her a week.

I checked in with the boss before pulling my coat on and leaving the little club. It wasn't very big, but it didn't need to be. Only those who could afford us were let in. And tonight, I was finally free from the tiny prison.

As I turned away from the building, my mind filled with the freedom I'd once had. My name was Amelia Martin. I'd been just a normal teenage girl when Bernie Caldwell had come through and ruined my life. He'd been my Algebra teacher in high school. One day, he'd asked me to stay after class. I'd been worried. I was a good student, but I'd been struggling with math.

I remembered my shock when he'd forcefully bent me over the desk, running his hand up under my skirt. I'd kicked him in the shins and run. I ran home and told my parents. When they confronted Mr. Caldwell, he'd simply told them that I was the one who'd tried to seduce him rather than the other way around.

Worst of my nightmares, they believed him. They'd taken me to the little club and dropped me off. They'd told me that whores weren't allowed in their house. So now, that's what I was.

I pulled my coat tighter around me as the wind chilled my skin. I ran across the street and went into a small diner. It was bright unlike my life now. I was no longer Amelia. I was Scarlette. Not all of the girls too on fake names, but I needed one. Amelia was a sweet girl and thought Mr. Caldwell had tried to destroy her, she needed to remain pure. Scarlette on the other hand, was a lady of the night.

"What can I get for you, sweet heart?" And old woman stopped at my little booth with a notepad. She smiled at me as I scanned the men.

"Marvin's burger please," I handed her the menu. "And a milkshake?" it came out as a question. I felt like I needed to ask permission for something so sweet.

The old woman smiled as she wrote down my order and then left me to my thoughts. But I didn't want to be left alone. I was always alone. None of the other girls could understand. This wasn't supposed to be my life. I should have graduated high school, gotten married, and had a family. It had been three years since I'd left Amelia behind. Sometimes I wondered about my parents. But then I'd remember the sneer on their faces as they dropped me at the door of the club and I wouldn't care. How could they have done that to me?

The old woman came back with my milkshake and a smile. I loved her smile. It was like the diner, bright. "Thank you."

She patted my hand, "It's nothing, deer. I hope you enjoy it." The look in her eyes was sympathetic. It was almost as if she could tell my life's story without even asking.

I enjoyed my milkshake, burger and fries, and the smiled old woman. It was nice to escape from my life, if only for an hour. I paid my bill with a nice tip. I wasn't going to have any use for this money. Tonight was my only night out. I walked out into the night and nearly cried from the loss of the warmth that the diner had provided. It was far too cold for Biloxi. I walked a few blocks to find a convenience store to get the cigarettes and then began to head back to the club. I didn't want to go back, but there was nowhere else for me.

"Amelia?" a chill that had nothing to do with the cold passed down my spine. "Well if it isn't Amelia Martin?" The voice was familiar, too familiar.

I kept walking, but that didn't please him. "Where are you going, Amelia? You have no reason to run from me now."

I kept going, trying to push myself past his grasp. I couldn't get caught by him, not on the one night that I could escape from the life he'd forced me into. "Come back here, Amelia." His voice was demanding, but I ignored it.

He stopped speaking, but that did nothing to ease the panic I felt. I could hear footsteps gaining on me. I knew he'd catch me, but I needed to try to get away. It was of course pointless. His hand wrapped around my wrist. He pulled at my arm and pushed me against a wall in the small alley I'd been running through.

I swallowed hard and kept my eyes down. It bothered me, but I was terrified of him. He had taken everything from me, what else could he want.

"I'm glad to have found you, Amelia." He ran his tongue up my neck. I choked on a sob. I've missed you all these years."

"Leave me alone," I whispered. There was no conviction in my voice. There was no escaping him. "Please Mr. Caldwell. What could you possibly want from me?"

He laughed, his hot breath scalding my neck. "You know what I want, Amelia. It's sad that you couldn't have given it to me when I'd asked for it before. We wouldn't have all this trouble."

I tried to kick him, but he was so close there was no room to move. "No, my dear. I learned my lesson last time. You won't get away from me so easily this time."

"That's too bad," a voice came from behind Mr. Caldwell. It was beautiful, but deadly. "I suppose that means she'll need help."

Mr. Caldwell didn't run around, but he should have. I looked over Mr. Caldwell's shoulder, to see the most beautiful and terrifying man I'd ever seen in my life. His form was tall and well build. His skin was pale, almost luminescent in the moonlight. His hair was a mess of copper. My fingers twitched like they belonged there, running through his hair. They knew how soft it would feel to have the strands run between my fingers.

My eyes focused on his face and I gasped. His eyes were bright red. A hundred questions ran through my head, but none of them were what they should have been. I should have been terrified. He obviously wasn't human, but I wasn't scared in the slightest. I wanted to know who he was. I wanted to know how he'd found me. I wanted him.

He reached out and grabbed Mr. Caldwell by the shoulder, grasping roughly. Mr. Caldwell crumpled in pain. The beautiful man looked down at him in disgust, "Run Amelia," is voice made my knees buckle.

He bent down and picked Mr. Caldwell up by his throat, slamming him against the wall next to me. "I said run, Amelia. You can't be here."

His voice left no room for argument. I turned on my heels and left the ally, but I didn't go far. Once I reached the street, I turned back and peeked around the corner. The beautiful stranger lifted Mr. Caldwell further off the ground, scraping his back against the brick wall. "You disgust me," he spat.

Mr. Caldwell was wincing and gasping in pain. I didn't know how much air he could get around the beautiful stranger's hand. "She's a whore, a lady of the night. If it hadn't been me, it would have been someone else."

The beautiful stranger shook his head, "If only it were that simple. You and I both know what you've done to her." How could this beautiful stranger have any idea of what Mr. Caldwell did? No one but Mr. Caldwell and I knew that. My parents did, but they didn't believe it. I hadn't told anyone else, and I knew Mr. Caldwell wouldn't tell anyone.

"I didn't do anything to her," Mr. Caldwell hissed, "She's a liar. Did she tell you that I did something to her? She told her parents that too. They didn't believe her lies. That's why they put her on the street, to live the life that she'd chosen."

The beautiful man's face scrunched in anger. He gripped tighter around his neck. "I hate being lied to." He dropped Mr. Caldwell to his feet, grabbing his face, angling it up, and latching his mouth to his neck.

It looked like he was kissing him, but his screams hinted otherwise. The beautiful stranger clamped Mr. Caldwell's mouth shut.

As Mr. Caldwell became more and more pale, eventually losing strength to struggle, one word passed through my mind. Vampire.

He dropped Mr. Caldwell and looked over and me. "I told you to run, Amelia." The look on his face was terrifying and it was aimed at me. I turned with a mumbled apology and ran toward the club.

* * *

I waited on my bed in shock. Finally, my roommate Candi came in. "Hey, Scarlette. How was your night off?"

I tossed her the cigarettes she'd asked for and laid back on the bed. "I was attacked by my old school teacher and saved by a vampire."

The words hung in the air for a few minutes. Then Candi laid her hand on my head. "You must be running a fever, because you're getting delirious."

I shook her hand away. "Mr. Caldwell did attack me. He cornered me in an alley, and then he pinned me to the wall."

Candi raised an eyebrow at me. "That's not the part I meant, and you know it."

I shrugged, "A vampire saved me, so what?"

"So, you're going crazy." Candi said with a hand on her hip.

I nodded, "It's possible." I pulled up a pictured of him in my mind. "He was so beautiful. He had a body that you pray for in a client. No extra bits that jiggle and make you sick. He was perfectly built. He had hands that looked like they could drive a girl crazy." I licked my lips, "His lips looked so delicious. They were bright red against his pale skin. I wanted to lick them to see if they were cherry flavored."

I closed my eyes, "His hair was such a strange color. I've never seen it before, and yet it was familiar. It reminded me of a shiny new penny. And it was in the most perfect mess of sex hair." My mind's eye traveled to his eyes and mine snapped open. "His eyes were frightening and all wrong. They were red, redder than his lips. They were terrifying, yet paralyzing. I couldn't move. His eyes held me prisoner."

Candi shook her head. "If he was really a vampire, you wouldn't be sitting here talking to me. He would have killed any witnesses. If vampires truly existed, which they don't, they wouldn't want us to know that they were real."

I sat up, "He saved my life, Candi."

Candi shrugged, "Let's just go to sleep. Maybe you'll be over this delusion in the morning." She slipped into the bed and turned away from me so that I couldn't say anything else. I sighed and slipped under the covers as well. Yet another story that people weren't going to believe. I didn't know why I even tried.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of the boss's voice, "Amelia, wake up."

I groaned and rolled over. I didn't want to be called Amelia, especially not here. I was Scarlette here. Amelia didn't exist here.

The boss shook me, "Amelia, get up, there are some people here to see you."

I peeked up at him. Why would people come to see me? The only people who came to see me were repeat clients, and they only did that at night. But this was the boss. I did what he said.

As I was getting ready, I vaguely noticed that Candi wasn't there. She usually slept in, but maybe the boss needed her too. I pulled on the most amount of cloths I could and followed the boss to his office. There were several men in lab coats. They looked a little like doctors.

"Amelia Martin?" One of them held out their hand for me. I shook it tentatively and nodded my head. "We're here to ask you a few questions about a murder that was committed last night."

The other one dug around until he found a picture which he brought up for my inspection. "Do you know this man?"

I looked at the picture. "I knew him once. That's Bernie Caldwell. He was a teacher of mine."

"When was the last time that you saw Mr. Caldwell?" He left the picture on the table. I wished he'd move it. I hated that man.

"Last night," I answered honestly. I was a terrible liar, they'd figure it out. "He attacked me in an alley."

"Attacked you?" The one who'd shaken my hand seemed to find something interesting about what I'd said.

I nodded, "He was mad that I hadn't slept with him when I was his student. So when he found me last night, he tried again?"

"What happened?" Creepy doctor number one placed his elbows on the table and templed his fingers. "How did you get away?"

"Someone saved me," I shrugged nonchalantly.

Creepy doctor number two leaned back in his chair, "Can you describe the person who saved you?"

I nodded, "I can, but you'll never find him."

"And why is that?" Creepy doctor number two smiled as if I was telling him exactly what he wanted to hear.

I shrugged again, "He's a vampire."

Both of them looked at me like I had lost my mind. I know it sounded crazy, but I knew what I'd seen. "You can't just pass this off on someone else, Miss Martin. If you killed Mr. Caldwell, it will be better for you to tell us now. They'll go easier on you if you plea guilty."

I felt like growling. "Mr. Caldwell had me pinned against a wall without even enough room to kick him. There was no way I could have killed him. A vampire saved my life. He killed him and I ran."

Creepy doctor number one smiled, "Okay, this…vampire saved you. What was his name? Maybe we can track him down that way."

Seriously? What was wrong with these men? "I didn't catch his name. I was too busy running. He told me to run, that I shouldn't be there."

Creepy doctors number one and number two looked like they were going to laugh. "Okay, then tell us what he looked like."

I shook my head in disbelief. "You don't believe me. You think I'm making the whole thing up."

"Of course not, Miss Martin," Creepy doctor number one said. "We're going to need you to come with us though. There are a few more things we need taken care of before we can let you go."

I sighed and stood up to follow them. What I saw outside wasn't what I'd expected. Instead of a police car, there was something that looked like an ambulance. They ushered me into the back. There was a pinch in my arm, and the world went fuzzy, eventually becoming completely black.

* * *

When the world came back into focus, I was laying on uncomfortable bed, looking straight up at a cracked ceiling. I tried to turn, but I was shackled to the bed. I yanked at them, but it just rattled the chain.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice came from across the room. It was a high but calm voice. "You'll just hurt yourself."

I looked over to find the owner of the voice. Sitting on another bed was a small figure with short black hair. The world was too fuzzy to make out details, but it looked like a boy. "Where am I?"

The shoulders lifted. "We're at the Biloxi Mental Institution. They put you here because you believe that you saw a vampire."

I pulled at my chains. "I did see one. He saved my life."

"I believe you." The voice was too feminine to fit the body. "I'll be just like him someday."

"What do you mean?" I wanted to sit up so badly. The chains were biting into my airs and legs.

"I'm not exactly sure." The form turned toward the barred window. "I just know that one day, I will be just like your savior."

I didn't know what to say. I just lay there soaking in my surroundings. So the doctors had thought I was crazy.

My roommate's voice broke into my thoughts. "Who's Edward?"

I shrugged. "I don't know an Edward."

"You must," she whispered. "When you're asleep, you thrash about screaming his name. That's why they chained you up. They needed you to stop moving. You were going to hurt yourself."

"I don't know an Edward," I repeated.

Those were the last words that we exchanged. For many days, we simply sat around doing nothing. During daylight hours, someone would come in to unchain me, and then the same person would come in to chain me up again at night. Usually it was a kind man with golden eyes. I liked his eyes. They were so familiar. I could almost imagine my savior with those eyes.

The man was similar to my savior in many ways. When he came in to lock me up at night, his skin glowed in the little moonlight that came in through the barred window. And he was extremely beautiful. He never gave us his name, but he did take a liking to my roommate. Sometimes, I'd wake up in the middle of the night to find him running his fingers through her short black hair. Maybe he was falling for her. It was sad. They could never be together.

One night, my roommate bolted up in her bed as the nice man was locking me down. Her face was frightened. "He's coming to get me."

I didn't understand what she was saying, but the man must have, because he took her and ran. He ran so quickly, it was almost as if he disappeared.

I waited three days before I gave up on the idea of them returning. Though nothing changed, there was no less noise and I received the same interaction, I missed my roommate. The room seemed empty without her. Though I barely knew her. I felt like I was supposed to. She had somehow become important to my existence. I lost my will to eat or drink. I was finally completely alone. I had felt alone when my parents had abandoned me, when Mr. Caldwell attacked me, and when I was sent here. But nothing compared to this. There was nothing left in the world for me.

But the fourth day, I knew I wouldn't have to live much longer. My body begged me for food and water, but I didn't want it. This was how he found me. He sat on the bed across from me smiling. He had blonde hair, pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. His skin glowed in the moonlight, and his eyes were black, except for the ring of red around the iris. He was dangerous and beautiful. And I knew, he was just like my savior.

He hummed, "My dear, you should have kept yourself better nourished." He got up and stalked toward me. "You see, now I will still be thirsty when I'm done with you."

He turned from me and walked about the room. I didn't fight my restraints to escape. If he was going to kill me, he'd only be granting me my greatest wish. "It's rather sad that I will only be getting you. I really wanted your roommate." He picked up her pillow and brought it to his nose, "Mouthwatering."

He growled, "But that stupid old vampire had to take her away from me." I'd been right. I rejoiced silently in seeing the similarities between my savior and the man who was so kind to my roommate and myself.

"I suppose I have to settle for you. But it really doesn't seem like you mind." He cocked his head to the side. "You want to die." I nodded my head, "Why?"

My voice cracked from disuse and a dry throat. "I have nothing to live for."

He took a step closer to me. "You're the one they say believes in my kind, right?" I nodded my head. "And you still want me to kill you?" I nodded my head again.

He shook his head and laughed softly. "Humans are so strange. I'm tempted to keep you, but the Volturi would never approve of that, and I'm too thirsty to turn you. I suppose that I'll just have to settle for killing you."

I closed my eyes and nodded, breathing deeply. "This will hurt a little, but you won't need to keep quiet. You scream enough in your sleep that no one will come to check on you. Who is this Edward that you scream for anyway?"

I shook my head repeating the words I'd told my roommate weeks, possibly months before. "I don't know an Edward.

He hummed, "Perhaps you are crazy. Doesn't matter, though. Your blood will quench my thirst all the same."

I felt his breath fan across my neck. "You do smell good." He didn't say anything else. There was a sharp pain in my neck, like being cut with a knife.

I screamed and my body arched up off of the bed. I wanted to reach out and pull away the source of pain, but my arms were bound. I could not move.

As I accepted this fact, my mind seemed to race, playing many pictures through my mind. None of them were mine, but all were familiar. All were of my savior. My savior in front of a piano. My savior looked up at me with his hair slicked back and his gold eyes hard. My savior looking human and near death, sweating and coughing. My savior kissing me, pulling back to look deeply into my soul with his piercing green eyes.

My savior, my Edward.


	5. Danielle Gardner

I was sitting in my desk, trying to concentrate, when they walked in. How could geometry compare to the sight before me? A tiny, black haired girl bounded into the room and handed the teacher a slip. "I see. Class, we have some new students, today." She pointed to the tiny, black haired girl, "This is Alice Cullen and her brother," she pointed to a boy sulkily following Alice around. He was beautiful. His face looked like it was cut by an artist with the help of a protractor. The angles were so perfect. And his hair, messed up as if he hadn't bothered to comb it after getting out of bed, was the most amazing copper color I'd ever seen.

I vaguely heard the teacher say that his name was Edward. It wasn't a common name, but if fit him. He didn't need a common name.

"Alice," why don't you sit next to Miss Gardner and Edward you can sit next to Mr. Jameson."

Alice danced to the seat next to me and plopped down. She held out her hand to me. "Hi, I'm Alice."

I couldn't help but smile at her exuberance. "Danielle." I took her hand. It was freezing. She must have been standing outside without gloves on. The wonders of living in Denali, Alaska. It was always freezing.

She smiled, "We just moved up here. Do you know our cousins? They own a trapping company or something like that."

I smiled, "You mean Carmen and Eleazar. Yes, my father loves to go into their shop. He spends a lot of time hunting and fishing. He actually sells in the fish market."

She smiled and nodded before turning back toward the front. I was having the strangest sense of déjà vu. I had never met Alice before, but something about her was familiar.

I pushed it off. She looked like a super model. Perhaps I was comparing her to someone I'd once seen in a magazine.

The teacher tried to continue her lesson, but no one was paying attention. Everyone was looking at the new students. It was hard not to look at them. Alice was beautiful in ways that we'd never seen before. It didn't escape my notice that there was a ring on her left ring finger, though. I couldn't help but ask about it.

She smiled as she fluttered her fingers. "It's a promise ring. My boyfriend, Jasper McCarthy gave it to me before we moved here. Our parents all moved out here together. They were going to separate Jasper and me, but my Dad convinced his parents to move with us. It didn't take much convincing. His mother worked with my father in the hospital and he offered her a great position here."

"So your father's the new doctor?" I asked. I knew that we were in desperate need for a doctor, but I hadn't been told the position had been filled.

She nodded, and was about to say something but Mrs. Dalton called our attention, "Young ladies, is there something that you would like to share with the class?" I shook my head and ducked in my seat. "Good. Now, Miss, Gardner, would you like to tell me what an acute angle is?"

I sighed in relief. Thank God I'd read ahead. "An acute angle is an angle which measures less than 90 degrees."

She scowled. Obviously she'd been hoping I'd get that wrong. She should have known better. I'd never had trouble with math. She turned back to the board and continued to teach.

Once Alice no longer held my attention, I could no longer look away from her brother. He was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. He was a work of art. He was the physical embodiment of lust. And yet, his eyes were dead. He had golden eyes, just like his sister, yet they were completely dead. I wondered what he'd left behind that made him look so lifeless. Had he been in love just like his sister? Had his father been unable to obtain his love as well? I didn't know what had happened, but I mourned for him. No one should be so dead on the inside.

He looked over at me, and I dropped my gaze immediately, embarrassed at being caught.

Alice giggled, "Don't mind him. He didn't want to move here. Tanya, Eleazar's adoptive daughter, has had a crush on Edward since we were kids. Now that we're so much closer to them, he can't hind from her.

I laughed as well, but I knew that wasn't it. If it were simply that, he'd mope for a while and then deal with it. He wouldn't look so….empty.

The bell rang, signaling lunch. Edward swept out of the room gracefully while Alice danced out behind him. The contrast between them was almost comical. Alice was short where he was tall, dark haired where he was bronze haired, happy where he was moody. As strange as it may seem, I could imagine their attitudes switched. I could imagine Alice sitting quietly, hunched in on herself, and I could see Edward out partying with his friends. But those thoughts were so unreal. Alice was a ball of energy. There was no way she could be the person I was seeing.

I went to the lunch room and sat with my usual group in the corner. We were known to the school as nerds. I supposed we were, but we were happy in our own. The Brittany Sullivans and the Conner Jamesons would still be here in twenty years. I would be far away, doing something amazing.

Brad tapped on my shoulder, bringing me from my inner thoughts. "Hey, Danny. Did you have any problems with the history homework? I think I might have been looking in the wrong section."

I pushed the glasses up my nose and looked down at his book. "Wasn't the question about which battle Napoleon surrendered at?" Brad nodded. "Then you're definitely in the wrong section. You should be looking at the battle at Waterloo. Everything you need to know is in there."

I took a bite of the cafeteria lunch. I didn't really know what I'd just taken a bite out of, but it didn't matter. It all tasted like cardboard anyway. Maybe I could buy peanut butter with my allowance this week. That would be so much better than this crap.

There was another tap on my shoulder. I had to turn completely around as this was not someone that was sitting at my table. I looked up at Conner. "Hey, Danielle. Are you still going to help me study tonight?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "I promised I would, Conner. Your Mom is paying me, I'm not going to ditch you."

He nodded and turned away. A small part of me wondered why he cared so much all of a sudden, but I didn't honestly care. As long as his mom paid me, I'd help him try to improve himself. Maybe he'd even get smart enough to see how annoying Brittany was. I wasn't getting my hopes up, though. They were the couple that you see in all the movies. The quarter back and head cheerleader. They would be if we had sports anyway.

I buried my nose in Romeo and Juliet for the rest of the lunch period. English hadn't been one of the my favorite topics until recently. I was beginning to enjoy Shakespeare. I loved the truthfulness behind his love stories. He never made falling in love easy. He gave his characters obstacles that were hard to overcome, and sometimes they couldn't

Everyone looked at Romeo and Juliet as one of the greatest love stories of all time, but was it? They didn't even end up together. How is that a great love story? I supposed you needed to believe in a world after this one for this to have been a truly good love story. Perhaps that was Shakespeare's intent. Maybe he'd meant for them to spend an eternity together this way. I supposed it made sense, but then I'd have to believe in a higher power.

But it was hard for me to believe in a higher power with what had happened to my family. I was an only child, but not because my parents stopped trying. My mother had conceived at least three other children. The first had lived a total of thirty-two hours before he passed. The others were both stillborn. It had devastated my mother. She hadn't been the same since. My father had tried to comfort her, but she'd rejected him. Now, all she did was sit around knitting baby clothing. We had boxes and boxes of things that she'd made. My father had given up long ago and now simply brought her enough yarn to keep her going. It was the best that we could do for her.

The bell rang and I picked up my bag and headed to my next class. That was why I needed to get away. I couldn't be around my parents anymore. I'd do anything to get into one of the colleges on the mainland.

I walked into the little English room and plopped down into my normal seat. I didn't notice the new person sitting next to me until the teacher introduced him. "Okay, class. Before we start our Romeo and Juliet quiz, I'd like to introduce our new student, Jasper McCarthy." I turned to look at him. He was beautiful, like Alice, but his perfection was marred by the obvious concentration he was keeping. I wondered what he was concentrating so hard on. Whatever it was, it appeared to be causing him pain.

At the end of the class, he exited just as quickly as Edward had. Alice was waiting for him at the door. She smiled at me. "Danielle, have you met Jasper?"

He tried to smile at me, but I could see that he was still in pain. "Pleasure."

I smiled back, slightly swayed by his southern accent. "It's nice to meet you."

Alice smiled, obviously happy with the few words we'd exchanged. "Well, off to class. She you tomorrow, Danielle." She squeezed Jasper's arm and turned away.

My last class, history, was spent discussing very little of the past. Everyone was too interested in the new students. It was my first class without at least one of them. I heard several girls discussing and arguing the attributes of Jasper and Edward. The boys were either discussing the inconvenience of having Jasper and Edward around or talking about Alice. I couldn't argue with them on how amazing she looked, I just wouldn't suggest them talking about it too much. Jasper didn't look like the type of guy they'd want to deal with.

* * *

After school, I went home. I wasn't surprised that I beat my father home. He hated being around my mother now. He blamed himself. He didn't know what he'd done, but he knew God was punishing him for whatever it was. I shook my head, if there was really a God, he would never have believed my father worth punishing. The worst thing my father had ever done was overprice a fish and if there was a God, he wouldn't look down on my father for trying to provide for his family.

I leaned down and kissed my mother on the cheek as I passed her rocker. She showed no knowledge of my presence. I didn't expect it anymore. At one time it had hurt, but I'd grown to accept my mother's lack of presence.

Though my mother ignored me, I often spoke to her as if she were there. "The new doctor has arrived. It seems that he's related to Carmen and Eleazar. You remember them, don't you, Mom?"

There was no response, but that didn't stop me from speaking. "The kids are extremely attractive. There are two of them, Edward and Alice. Then there's Jasper, Alice's boyfriend. Apparently the doctor was able to get his mother a position here. Makes me wonder what his father does that he could just pick up and leave."

I started to rattle around in the kitchen. When Dad got home, he'd want supper, and I was going to have to leave soon to go to Conner's house. I'd promised, and I didn't go back on my word.

"I graduated in a few months, you know?" Relief flooded me, I'd be out of this hell hole soon enough. "My teacher's have all given me letters of recommendation for college. They're all really proud of me for applying to Syracuse. They think that with a good scholarship, I should be able to get in."

I finished supper in silence and went to get my math book so that I could head to Conner's house. I pushed my glasses up on my nose and wrote my Dad a note. I wondered how long he'd be out tonight. He'd been staying out later each night. I couldn't really find it in me to worry about it , though. He was just as dead as my mother these days.

"Bye Mom. Gotta go tutor the popular kids." I kissed her on the cheek again as I left. She'd be there when I got back, but she'd probably be asleep. I hadn't seen her get up in years, but she must have, because she was always wearing fresh cloths and she never made a mess or starved.

I pushed thoughts of my family from my head. There was no point in worrying about either of my parents. They'd stopped worrying about me long ago.

* * *

I walked the half mile to Conner's house. I was greeted at the front door by his Mom. "Good evening, Mrs. Jameson. I'm here to help Conner."

She smiled down at me. "It's so good to see you, Danielle. I'm so glad that you decided to help. Conner's been falling behind."

I nodded and let her lead me back to Conner's room, where we found him laying on his back, tossing a football into the air and catching it as it came back down. Mrs. Jameson made a motion for me to proceed and then she left me alone with him.

Conner had yet to acknowledge me. I'd had enough of that for one day so I reached out and snagged the ball out of the air.

"Hey!" Conner lifted up onto his elbows to glare at me. The glare dropped as soon as he saw it was me, then he sat up quickly, "Sorry, thought you were my mom."

I tossed the ball to the corner, "Maybe if you spent more time studying and less time messing with a ball that we don't have a team for, I wouldn't have had to come out and do that."

Conner shrugged, "I supposed." Then he looked at me expectantly.

I rolled my eyes, "Get out your book and tonight's homework. Hopefully we can get this done quickly. I hate walking back at night."

Conner picked up his book and offered me a spot on the bed next to him. I sat down as he opened his book. "This is our first lesson. "I took a piece of paper out of the book and straightened the crumpled edges. "Your notes are much easier to read if you don't completely destroy them like this."

He nodded, "Right. Take better care of notes, got it."

His response almost made me laugh. Almost. "Why don't you attempt the first problem and if you run into trouble, we'll work it out."

Conner began to work out the problem, which he obviously had no idea how to do. "No, wait." I stopped his progress. "Why are you doing that?"

He looked up at me from the mess of equations that he'd just put on his paper. "I'm trying to figure out the measure of the angle."

I shook my head, you're doing too much work. It's not that hard." I pointed to the straight line on the paper. "What is that angle?"

He looked at me like I was crazy. "That's not an angle, that's a straight line."

I held up my hand to silence him. "It's true that it's not a corner, but it still has a measure in terms of degrees." I took his notebook, drew the line with an arch above it. "When you measure it from here to here," I said dragging my finger across the arc, "how many degrees is it?"

Conner shrugged, "I really have no idea."

I groaned internally. This was going to be harder than I thought. I handed him back his notebook. "Draw me an angel that you do know."

He smiled and immediately drew me a perfect corner. Then he thrust the notebook back at me. "That's a ninety degree angle."

I smiled. That was a perfect place to start. "Okay," I drew a line and placed another one perpendicular to it in the center then held it up for him to see. "How many degrees on this side of the angle?"

"Ninety," he said raising an eyebrow at me like I'd gone crazy. "I just told you that."

I waved off his reply, "And how much on the other side of the angle?"

"Ninety," he said again.

I nodded, nearly jumping out of me skin. How could he not see the answer? "Okay, if you put two ninety degree angles together, what is the resulting angle?"

Conner looked at the paper for a moment longer and then looked up at me tentatively, "One hundred eighty?"

"Yes," I smiled. It had taken a few minutes, but he'd gotten it. "That's right, one hundred and eighty degrees is the angel of a straight line."

His smile made me stop for a moment. I'd seen him smile before, but it had never been aimed directly at me. My mind was temporarily stunned. Then, when it started working again, it asked stupid questions like if Edward's smile would have a similar affect on me.

I shook the thought off and continued to work through Conner's problems And a little over an hour later, we'd gotten through the whole set of problems.

I put my book back in my bag and got up to leave. I walked out to the living room and nearly ran into Mrs. Jameson on her way to get us. "Oh, are you done?"

I nodded, "I think he's starting to understand. Once I explained a few basics, he began to catch up."

Mrs. Jameson smiled, "I'm glad to hear it. I was actually coming to see if you wanted to join us for dinner. I've made more than enough."

I shook my head, "Dad will be expecting me to come home soon. I left dinner for him, but he usually likes to know that I'm alive and well." It was meant to be a joke, but I couldn't ignore the fact that my heart stuttered slightly, unsure of the statement's truth.

I saw sadness cross Mrs. Jameson's eyes. She probably was unsure too. She went to her purse and pulled out a twenty, to which she handed to me. "I hope you can do this again. I know that you'll be able to help Conner."

"Alright, Mom. You can stop talking about me like I'm not here." I turned to see Conner slipping into his jacket and picking up a pair of keys off the ring by the door. He looked at me. "You ready to go?"

I couldn't quite comprehend what he was asking me. He jingled the keys, "I'm gonna take you home. You said you weren't comfortable walking home."

"Oh," I was a little surprised at his generosity. I didn't really believe he could be so kind. I followed him out to his car and he took me home.

I got home and noticed that Dad had eaten supper and gone to bed without bothering to see if I'd gotten home safely. Mom was, in deed, asleep in her chair. I made myself a small plate of what was left over from what I'd made for Dad and then went to my room.

I ignored the pain in my chest at both of my parent's ignorance of my presence. It really shouldn't matter. I wanted to get as far away from then as possible. Them ignoring me now shouldn't hurt. They shouldn't be able to hurt me anymore.

* * *

The next few months passed much the same. Alice had become a friend, though we never saw each other outside of class. Jasper's attitude didn't change much, but he seemed to have no aversion to me. He simply didn't talk much to anyone besides Alice.

Then there was Edward. It hurt me that I could never find any life in his eyes. It just didn't seem right. He should be spending time with people, having fun. But anytime his eyes met mine, I knew that he didn't fit there. His eyes showed age beyond our years. He'd been through a lot in his life, and there was no way he could become a normal teenager.

Graduation came and went. Neither of my parents came, but that didn't matter. I wouldn't have known what to say to them if they had shown.

Everyone congratulated me on my valedictorian speech, even Edward. I had to look away from him when he did, because he seemed to have some kind of pity in his eyes when he did, and I couldn't stand seeing it. I didn't want his pity.

Today I was going to Carmen and Eleazar's store to get some supplies for my father. He'd left a list for me, the only sign that he knew I was still alive and living under his roof. I hadn't even gotten to tell him that I'd gotten my acceptance letter and would be leaving in a few months. I didn't get the feeling he'd really care.

The bell dinged as I entered the store. Carmen looked up. "Hello, Danielle, dear. How are you today?"

I smiled up at the beautiful woman. She had the strangest accent and I'd always wondered where she'd originally come from. "I'm here to pick up some stuff for my Dad." I handed her the list. "He didn't have time to come get them himself."

Carmen smiled then nodded at me. "Emmett!" She called to the back of the store. "Can you come get these things for Miss Gardner?"

A tall burly man that I had never seen before came to the front and froze. I watched his eyes darken frighteningly.

"NO!" I head Alice's voice trill in a demanding tone. But it was too late. Emmett had me pinned against the wall, holding me up by my collar. He growled at me, the expression on his face murderous.

"Danny, I'm so sorry," Alice choked. "I should have stopped him. I was too far away. I couldn't get here in time. I'm so sorry."

"Alice," I heard Jasper try to comfort her. I couldn't see either of them past Emmett's looming frame. I looked at his face again. He seemed to be fighting with himself, trying to gain some kind of control.

A long pale hand wrapped around his forearm, but he ignored it. I looked over at Edward who was studying Emmett carefully. "Let her go, Emmett. You're stronger than this."

Emmett shook his head, but didn't take his eyes from me. "I can't. If I don't do it now, I'll just hunt her down." I expected his voice to be rough, but it was smooth and hypnotic. "The scent is too strong."

"No," Edward said soothingly. It reminded me of how someone might act if they were trying to talk someone off a ledge. "You don't have to do this. You can let her go. She's one of Alice's friends. You can back away now. I know you can do it."

Emmett growled and I saw the indecision on his face. Edward continued. "She's spent most of her life taking care of her parents. Now she's finally going to get away. Emmett, let her have a chance at a life." Emmett's brow scrunched as he took in what Edward had said. "Emmett, you can't take away her life when she hasn't had a chance yet to live. Alice says that she's going to go off to college and finally find out what it's like to feel loved. You know what love feels like, are you really going to take that chance away from her?"

I couldn't really comprehend what Edward was saying, but his melodic voice was soothing. It made me feel safe, home. I relaxed against Emmett's hold.

"Just let him do it, Edward." A woman's deep sultry voice came from not far behind Emmett. "We can't let her live. She's seen too much."

"She doesn't need to die, Rose." Alice's little voice said sadly, as if she didn't have much hope. "She deserves a chance at happiness."

"But she'll tell someone." The woman who I assumed was Rose hissed. "And then the Volturi will be here looking for us. And none of us want to deal with Aro when he finds out that we let her go."

A pained expression crossed Edward's face and he looked over Emmett's shoulder. He nodded to someone then looked back at me. "I'm sorry, Danielle." He looked into my eyes, and it wasn't what I wanted to see. Because, even though his words were sincere, his eyes still held nothing. I wanted to see laughter in his eyes. I wanted to see love there.

But those were things I would never see. I heard Alice choke again, "I am so sorry, Danny."

Then Emmett leaned forward and opened his mouth over my neck. As a searing pain, like my neck being cut open with a knife hit my system, I was finally able to see over Emmett's shoulder. Tiny Alice's shoulders were shaking, though tears didn't leave her eyes. Jasper looked on with sympathy, though most of his energies were focused on comforting the woman in his arms. There was a tall, statuesque blonde looking on with boredom as the pain in my neck began to fade.

Slowly, the scene began to dull and my head fell to the side so that my glasses fell to the floor. Even though I couldn't see, I knew that I was looking at Edward. I could see the bright copper color of his hair stood out against his pale skin. But the colors were all beginning to blur, and then green of his shirt was blending so that where I would usually see the gold of his eyes, I saw…emerald.


End file.
